The Boston Public Library

Important dates in Boston Public Library history:

• 1848.  Founded by an act of Great and General Court of Massachusetts.
• 1854.  First building opens to the public.
• 1895.  Central Library, architect Charles Follen McKim's "palace for the people", opens.
• 1986.  McKim building designated a National Historic Monument.

Boston Public Library:  A Brief Walking Tour of the McKim Building.  The great twin lions, couchant, on pedestals at the turn of the stairs, are of unpolished Siena marble and are the work of Louis Saint-Gaudens.

Wilkerson Pointe, Buffalo, New York

Opened to the public in June of this year, Wilkeson Pointe is a recreational area located in Buffalo's Outer Harbor that provides pedestrian paths, volleyball courts, natural playgrounds, wind sculptures, and public docking.

Not to mention gorgeous sunsets.

The sailboat you see just to the left of the setting sun.

Buffalo Skyway

Constructed in the mid-1950s, the Buffalo Skyway*, a 1.4-mile, 110-foot-high bridge, connect the downtown harborfront area and points south via state highway 5.  It provides a panoramic view of the skyline, which includes numerous grain elevators, some of which are still in operation, such as the cluster owned by General Mills (Gold Medal, shown below).

*Article needs to be updated, but I provide the link so you can read about the suggestion to remove the Skyway.  (Not likely to happen.)

   

Yesterday afternoon, our Buffalo friends Tony and Andrea took JoAnna and me on a walking tour of Canalside, a $275 million redevelopment project in progress at the western terminus of the Erie Canal.  The Skyway supports obscure the view.  Eventually, at least according to the renderings I have seen, this area of the city should provide a sampling of something along the lines of San Antonios's River Walk.  

 

Our stroll at this point had taken us away from the main activity area, and nearly a mile from where we had to park.  It's become quite the popular gathering place.  Downtown Buffalo appears to be on the upswing after along fallow period.